»A Striking Character«:

Mulidine Allegretto V4

Reprint Issue 2/2012

hifi& recordshochwertige Musikwiedergabe

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L O U D S P E A K E R S

Over the years, I’ve become increasingly convinced that a

good loudspeaker will have character. I’m not talking

about strange quirks – on the contrary, the perfect loud-

speaker would have no sonic properties of its own. The perfect

speaker, however, will never exist, and so we have to live with the

many flaws of real-world, electro-dynamic transducers. And, after

all, isn’t it the way someone deals with their weaknesses that

defines their personality? You will find many loudspeakers that

show certain qualities, usually too much bass in combination with

high volume levels. There are also plenty of all-rounders with no

distinctive qualities whatsoever, or, to be precise, only marketable

ones. In any case, if a friend with a modest hi-fi budget were to ask

me for a speaker recommendation, none of those would fit the bill.

But what kind of speaker would? If my friend listened mostly to

classical music, I might suggest a pair of Harbeths or Spendors,

maybe Dalis or a Dynaudios. If we’re talking jazz and searching for

»that swing«, I might be looking at other makes, because not every

speaker with an even tonal balance will excel in micro-dynamics;

jazz heads and similarly inclined listeners might even go so far as

to brand them »stiff in the hips«. They may be exaggerating, but I

know what they mean: some speakers are simply faster than others.

Unfortunately, the fastest speakers tend to exhibit high levels of

colouration. In the best of all possible worlds, as Leibniz described

the one we live in, there will simply never be a speaker capable of

making everyone happy.

Also, most people want floor-standing speakers – not too large,

of course, but nice and slim. I don’t want to pontificate about the

benefits of placing speakers on stands or the advantages of wide

baffles, so let’s just take the size requirements as a given. That won’t

make our search any easier, especially if the object of our desire has

to look stylish as well.

Naturally, the speakers have to be musical com-

municators, too, equally good at playing rock, pop,

jazz and classical. Easier said than done. A certain

degree of sound quality is a must; if a soprano voice

makes you want to turn the volume down, any

attempts to immerse yourself in the world of opera

or Bach’s cantatas are bound to fail. It’s fair to say

that good loudspeakers are like a ticket that will

grant you access to the world of recorded music.

In the age of globalization, the shopping districts

of large cities are becoming increasingly indistin-

guishable from one another, but hi-fi products, and

speakers in particular, still seem to retain national

traits. Many brands from neighbouring countries

are more or less unknown over here (and vice versa).

Marc Fontaine’s Mulidine brand is a perfect exam-

ple, but Willi Bauer from Munich has set out to

change that by bringing one of Mulidine’s success-

ful models to our attention: the Allegretto V4, a

floor-standing speaker that, at 2,400 euros, won’t

break the bank.

The driver configuration is conventional in some

ways, less so in others. The Seas tweeter with its

wide surround, as used in many recent Spendor

designs, is a known quantity. The only thing re-

markable about it is the foam padding (reminiscent

of older BBC loudspeakers) that Marc Fontaine

applies in order to minimize diffraction effects.

Due to the foam padding, most people will use the

Mulidine Allegretto V4 with cloth grilles in place.

The crossover frequency, set at 3,700 Hertz, might

also have been chosen by a British designer.

In high-end circles, one rarely encounters drivers

by the Italian manufacturer Ciare. This mid/bass

unit has a diameter of 16.5 cm, a paper cone and a

strong motor with a 100-mm magnet. Mulidine

modifies the dust cap.

What makes the Allegretto V4 an unusual design

is how it deals with the lower registers. Instead of

using a regular bass reflex port, Marc Fontaine has

opted for a double-quarter-wave acoustic line. Be-

hind the bass driver sits a perforated gypsum board

An affordable speaker of pedigree and class:

Mulidine’s Allegretto V4 may look innocent,

but its looks are deceiving.

Review: Mulidine Allegretto V4 loudspeakers

A Striking Character2/2012 hifi & records

made by Mulidine. Marc Fontaine calls it

a »mechanical-acoustical filter«, Willi

Bauer uses the term »flow resistance«.

I have to admit that, at first, I was

somewhat sceptical about this design,

illustrated by the cross section on the

right. However, I am sure that this

method of bass loading makes up the

largest part of the Allegretto’s sonic sig-

nature, or »character«, if you will.

There’s nothing real-

ly unusual about the

Allegrettos’ inner wi-

ring, which uses regu-

lar copper strands. The

cabinet spikes can be

inverted to reveal ball

heads that can be used

with most wooden

floors (an Allegretto

weighs only 18 kg).

Another thing worth

mentioning is that

Marc Fontaine is not a

big fan of bi-wiring;

therefore, only the lo-

wer two terminals are

connected. However,

any customer wishing

to bi-wire the Allegret-

tos can have them

modified.

As always, it’s the

performance that

counts – and in that

respect the Allegretto

V4s excel. I demonstra-

L O U D S P E A K E R S

ted the first pair we had here to

visitors, all of whom were

more than impressed. One

of them spoke of »a

lucky draw« and re-

marked: »With the-

se speakers it’s

not about bass

or treble, they

just get on with

the music.«

And, indeed,

the Allegrettos

really let you

connect with the

music, thanks to their sense of ease. The

nice thing is that this extends right down

to the bass, which is somehow different

to what one is used to and sounds less

like sounds emanating from a wooden

box. The effect is one of effortless music

right from the start. But that is by no

means all: for a speaker with a sensitivity

of 91.5 dB (!), the tonal qualities are more

than agreeable. The Allegretto V4s may

Lab Report

Measured at one metre distance, the

frequency response rises slowly

from the midrange up and exhibits a

minor resonance at around 650 Hz that

fades away quickly. Measured in-room,

there is still a slight treble boost on axis.

We would, therefore, recommend not

toeing the Allegrettos in; at anything less

than 30 degrees off axis, the treble res-

ponse is fine. The Allegretto is a 4-ohm

speaker with a minimum impedance of

3.3 ohms at 213 Hz.

Frequency Response: on axis, 15°/30°

Impedance: Mulidine Allegretto V4

Waterfall: Mulidine Allegretto V4

In-room frequency response: Mulidine

2,0 Meter, 1/1 octave

Nominal (DIN): 4ΩMinimum: 3,3 Ω @ 213 Hz

hifi & records 2/2012

They obviously still exist: loudspeaker

boffins who produce surprisingly good

results by treading off the beaten

engineering path. With the Allegretto

V4, Marc Fontaine has developed a spea-

ker that places low demands on ampli-

fier power and plays music with verve

and ease. Highly recommended!

Wilfried Kress

Conclusion

L O U D S P E A K E R S

not be the last word in that respect, but

they let you enjoy Sammy Davis Jr. just

as much as Lohengrin’s Grail narrative.

The speakers I listed as suitable for clas-

sical music at the beginning of this

article may offer a bit more substance

with vocals and strings (a paper cone will

always be a paper cone) but their sensiti-

vity rating will be much lower than that

of the Allegrettos (the Spendor model

reviewed on page 62 is almost 10 dB

quieter). However, the manner in which

the Allegrettos manage to combine a

variety of sonic qualities is extraordinary.

Their tonal balance is typical of French

speakers: »light« and rising from mid-

range up, which is something that

should be taken into consideration when

choosing electronics and cables. Partne-

red appropriately, the V4s will afford

musical enjoyment across all types of

genres.

MulidineAllegretto V4

WxHxD 20 x 89 x 25 cm

Warranty 5 years

Price 2,400 euros

Distributor Bauer Audio

Pollinger Straße 4

81377 München

Telephone (0049) 89 - 719 39 80

Perfect Partners

amp (1,800 euros). Anyone looking for a

lower-price solution should short-list the

Musical Fidelity M3i integrated (1,150

euros), a great all-round amp. Its sound is

open and lively and a good match for the

Allegrettos’ strengths. Paired with the

Musical Fidelity M3 CD player (1,150

euros), both pictured on the left, it’s a

great budget solution.

The Mulidine Allegrettos work a treat with

Naim electronics, as Willi Bauer confirms.

We recommend partnering the speakers

with a Naim CD5 XS CD player (2,498

euros) and a Naim NAIT XS integrated

© monomedia Verlag, Schwabstraße 4, D-71106 Magstadt, Germany, www.monomedia.dehifi & records is published quarterly, annual subscription fee in Germany v 46, outside Germany v 56 2/2012 hifi & records